A GOVERNMENT appointed planning inspector has ruled that an ancient Lake District fell pass is out of bounds for motorised vehicles.

The decision by the Secretary of State to make Garburn Pass, between Troutbeck and Kentmere, a ‘restricted byway’ follows three years of legal argument.

It means that any motorist or motorcyclist using the pass is committing a criminal offence and could face serious legal consequences.

The inspector went through hundreds of pages of documents ranging from maps of 1822, guide books of the 1880s, and photographs of motorbikes using the pass in the 1920s.

The Lake District National Park Authority has also announced that thanks to around £55,000 of Government funding invested in repairs following the 2009 floods, the pass is probably in better condition than it has been for hundreds of years.

“The storms of November 2009 badly damaged both sides of the pass, especially the western side where the track effectively became a river, and most of the surface ended up on the main road,” said National Park Countryside Access Adviser Nick Thorne.

“We were able to obtain significant funding under the Paths for the Public Project, funded by Defra, the Rural Development Programme for England, and Cumbria County Council. And we have now completely rebuilt the worst affected areas in three stages with the work being carried out by our own staff, the National Trust, and a local contractor.”

With the first of the Spring Gardening Holidays just over 2 weeks away (May 1st - 6th 2011), we have decided to offer the last few rooms with a 10% discount off the normal rate.

Everywhere is looking lovely - so fresh and green this time of year, with the early rhododendrons and camellias coming into flower already, so for anyone with a love of gardens - this holiday is ideal.

Offering a mixture of talks and trips out to a variety of places including some gardens not normally open to the public, its a great opportunity learn more about the gardens in the local area.

Its been a beautiful sunny weekend, and spring is certainly in the air, with summer not far behind we hope.
The leaves are appearing on the trees and there are plenty of lambs in the fields.
The good weather and holidays has brought lots of people to the area and the hotel is pretty full, so lovely to see so many familiar faces and plenty of new guests as well, hopefully to become familiar faces in the future.
We still have some availability for the coming weeks so please give us a call if you fancy a break.